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Takeda to Sponsor The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon

October 16, 2006

Osaka, Japan and Deerfield, Ill. (October 16, 2006) – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Osaka, Japan (“Takeda”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., Deerfield, Ill. (“TPNA”) announced today their official sponsorship of The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, which will expand Takeda’s commitment to endurance sports across the globe. A first-year sponsor of the Chicago race, Takeda has a history of marathon sponsorship in Japan.

Takeda is an R&D-driven company, striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products with emphasis in lifestyle-related diseases, oncology and urologic diseases, central nervous system diseases and gastroenterology diseases.

“Takeda, a company with 225 years of pharmaceutical excellence, understands perseverance,” said Kunio Takeda, chairman of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. “We are proud to support the thousands of runners who are committed to crossing the finish line, just as we strive to create superior pharmaceutical products.”

Recognizing the importance of being an active member of the community, Takeda pledges a commitment to do so in its company philosophy – “contributing to society by providing medicine through integrity in corporate activities.”

“We commend all marathon participants and are honored to play a part as they achieve their goals in this city where many of our employees work and live,” said Mark Booth, president of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America. “We are especially proud of our Team Takeda employees who will be running with the more than 40,000 other marathon participants.”

Growing from three to approximately 3,000 employees in eight years, Takeda will celebrate the grand opening of the new home office for Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. and Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. in Deerfield, Ill., on Oct. 20.

About Takeda
Takeda, located in Osaka, Japan, is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com .

About Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
Based in Deerfield, Ill., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. In the United States, Takeda currently markets oral diabetes, sleep and cholesterol lowering treatments, and through the Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. the company has a robust pipeline with compounds in development for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. To learn more about the company and its products, visit www.tpna.com .

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